Actuating and control unit



March 15, 1949. v c, L GRAU 2,464,389

ACTUATING AND CONTROL UNIT Original Filed May 7, 1946 i 1R) i j05M L,' J

41 jawei/zifol/v Patented Mar. 15, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEDivided and this application Decemher 5, 1947, Serial No. 789,882

Claims. 1

This application is a division of my copending parent application SerialNo. 667,917, May 7, 1946.

This invention relates to a driving and control unit adapted for use invending apparatus of the coin-controlled type.

Where a bottled merchandise such as soft drinks is being vended, as forexample in a manufacturing plant, or in ofiices, it is essential thatthis bottled merchandise be properly refrigerated, and because of suchrefrigeration, many problems are introduced with respect to dampness andcorrosion of the operating parts of the driving and control mechanism.It is therefore an important object of the present invention to enablethe control mechanism of such a vending mechanism to be so constructedand arranged that the control mechanism that may be located outside ofthe refrigerated portion of the apparatus, and a related object is toenable the motor that drives the vending mechanism to be located in aprotected relation where it will not be subjected to dampness andcorrosion that normally result from the presence of the refrigerated airwithin the cabinet.

A further object of the present invention is to afford a simpleoperating and control unit for such vending machines and to so constructsuch a unit that it may be economically produced and maintained.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent fromthe following description and claims and are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings which, by way of illustration, show a preferredembodiment of the present invention and the principle thereof and what Inow consider to be the best mode in which I have contemplated applyingthat principle. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same orequivalent principle may be used and structural changes may be made asdesired by those skilled in the art without departing from the presentinvention and the purview of the appended claims.

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the driving and control unit ofthe present invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the driving and control unit asviewed from the right in Fig.

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of a control cam that is included in thedriving and control unit; and

Fig. 4 is a schematic wiring diagram illustrating an exemplary controlcircuit in which the driving and control unit of the present inventionmay b employed.

For purposes of disclosure, the invention has been illustrated herein asembodied in a drive and control unit that is shown in detail in Figs. 1to 3, and which may be related to a delivery or other driven mechanismin the manner illustrated in my aforesaid parent application. Thus asshown in Figs. 1 and 2, the delivery and control unit embodies amounting base 8| on the forward face of which a driving motor 82 ismounted with its drive shaft 83 disposed in a horizontal position. Areduction gear box 85 is also secured on the forward face of themounting plate 8|, as will be evident in Figs. 1 and 2, and the powerinput shaft 86 of the reduction gearing is aligned with the motor shaft83 and is coupled thereto by a coupling 81. Within the reduction gearbox 85, any suitable gearing arrangement may be employed and in thepresent instance, this gearing includes a plurality of gears 90, thefinal one of which is fixed within the gear box upon a horizontal andrearwardly projecting output shaft 9!. When the mounting and controlunit 80 is to be put in place in a vending or like apparatus, it isdisposed in a protected position as for example on the outside of theinsulated wall of the refrigerated vending apparatus, and such mountingmay be accomplished through the use of a vibration absorbing means 92that is illustrated generally in Fig. 2 of the drawings. As the unit 88is put in place, the rearwardly projecting end of the shaft 9| is movedendwise toward the adjacent and aligned end of the shaft that is to bedriven thereby, and a driving coupling 94 on the rear end of the shaft91 is moved into driving engagement with a complemental element on theadjacent end of the driven shaft.

Thus, when the motor 82 is energized, the shaft that is coupled to theshaft 9| will be operated.

The desired control for the operation of the motor 82 and the mechanismthat is driven thereby is under the present invention accomplished in asimple and expeditious manner that avoids the use of relays and othermechanism that may tend to get out of order in the use of the machine.Thus, under the present invention, the energizing circuit for the motor82 is closed through the operation of the solenoid I08, and is openedunder control of the rotative movement of the final drive shaft 9! ofthe unit. Thus, as will be evident in Figs. 1 and 4, the motor circuitis afforded from a conventional power source IOI that includes linewires LI and L2. A wire I03 as extended from the line wire IUI, to oneterminal of the motor 82 while a wire I 04 is extended from the otherterminal of the motor 82 to the movable contact I05M of a normallyclosed switch M5. The stationary contact HJES of this switch isconnected by a wire M6 to the other line wire L2 so that upon closure ofthe switch 25, the motor M is energized. The switch m5 is arranged to beopened and closed under control of a cam H that is mounted on theforwardly projected end of the final drive shaft 9! and to enable thisto be accomplished the cam llll has a limited lost-motion connectionwith the shaft 9i so as to enable limited rocking movement of the camill! with respect to the shaft 9|. Thus the cam He is in the form of alever that is loosely mounted on the shaft 9! so that the ends thereofproject radially in opposite direction from the shaft ill, and teeth H!are extended forwardly from the opposite ends of the cam HEB so thatthese teeth may be engaged by driving teeth l i2 formed on a collar H3that is fixed by a pin or set screw M4 on the forward end of the shaftill. The relation of the teeth H l and l i2 is such that the cam Hi3 mayrock a limited angular stroke with respect to the shaft iii. The switchN35 is so mounted and disposed with relation to the forward end of theshaft 9i that when the cam H9 is rotated by the shaft 9i, one of theends of the cam lit will eventually engage and move the switch elementHEM to its open position of Fig. l. Such rotative movement of the cam H3is of course imparted thereto in the course of movement of the shaft 9ibecause the tooth H2 will engage with the tooth iii of the cam to effectsuch drive. Thus, the switch set will be opened when the cam reaches aposition such that shown in Fig. 4, and the operation of the mechanismwill be stopped. When the mechanism is to be operated through anothercycle, it is only necessary to rock the cam HQ in an advancing directionwith respect to the shaft 95, and this may be of course accomplishedbecause of the aforesaid lost-motion connection. In the course of suchrocking movement of the cam Hit, the switch tilt is allowed to close andthe cycle of operation will therefore be properly initiated.

As such cycle progresses, the lost-motion between the cam and the shaft9! will of course be taken up, and the cam Mil will again be driven bythe shaft 9i so as to properly engage and move the switch element 585Mto its open position when the cam shaft dull and 'iGR have been movedthrough 180 degrees.

The desired shifting the cam lit so as to effect the closing of theswitch 505 is caused by operation of the solenoid ltd, the armaturellilA of which is urged downwardly by its spring l iii, and at the endof a vending cycle, the tooth H5 is disposed beneath the left hand endof the cam H0 in the relationship shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings. Whenthe solenoid Edi? is energized, the armature I li A thereof is movedupwardly so as to shift or rock the cam llil through its lostmotionmovement to the position shown in Fig. 1, and this allows the switch N35to close. The solenoid we may then be deenergized so as to allow thesame to return to the relationship shown in Fig. 1, and the cycle ofoperation of the mechanism will progress and will be terminated by theswitch opening action of the cam fill with the parts in the position asshown in Fig. 4.

The solenoid 8% may be operated under control of a coin slot mechanism2?, Fig. 4, and this coin slot mechanism includes a normally open switchlfild that is momentarily closed each time a coin passes through thenormal or proper coin re-- ceivin channel of the coin slot mechanism.The

switch I20 has one contact thereof connected by a wire 82] to the linewire L2, while a wire l22 extends from the other contact of the switchI20 to one terminal of the solenoid [ill]. The other terminal of thesolenoid Hill is connected by wires H23 and l2 to the line wire LI sothat when the switch I26 is closed, by passage of a coin, the solenoidHill will be momentarily energized in the manner hereinbefore described.

From the foregoing description it will be evident that the presentinvention enables the driving and control mechanism of a refrigeratedvending machine to be located outside of the refrigerated portion of thecabinet, and this is accomplished in a simple manner that enables themechanism to be easily inspected or removed. This mechanism is simple incharacter since it avoids the use of relays and accomplishes the controlfunction through the use of a simple and inexpensive solenoid. It willbe evident that the present invention enables vending machines to bemade more reliable in operation and this may be done in a simple andeconomical manner.

Thus, While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment ofmy invention, it is to be understood that this is capable of variationand modification and I therefore do not wish to be limited to theprecise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such changesand alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A driving and control unit for coin controlled vending machines andthe like comprising a base 1 having forward and rear faces, a drivingmotor mounted on said forward face of said base, a gear reduction unitmounted on said forward face of said base and having an input shaftdriven by said motor and an output shaft extended rearwardly throughsaid base beyond the rear face thereof and extended forwardly from saidgear box to afford an extended forward end, a normally open switchmounted on said gear box adjacent said forward end of said output shaft,a cam mounted on said forward end of said output shaft for limitedangular lost motion with respect thereto and including at least one camlobe operable at a predetermined angular position of said output shaftto open said switch, and a solenoid mounted on said gear box adjacent tosaid cam and operable when energized to advance said cam angularly withrespect to said output shaft to thereby release said switch for closingmovement.

2. A driving and control unit for coin controlled vending machines andthe like comprising a base having forward and rear faces, a drivingmotor mounted on said forward face of said base, a gear reduction unitmounted on said base and having an input shaft driven by said motor andan output shaft extended rearwardly through said base beyond the rearface thereof, a normally open switch mounted in a fixed relation at oneside of said output shaft, a cam mounted on said output shaft forlimited angular lost motion with respect thereto and including at leastone cam lobe operable at a predetermined angular position of said outputshaft to open said switch, and a solenoid mounted in fixed relation withrespect to said base and operable when energized to advance said camangularly with respect to said output shaft to thereby release saidswitch for closing movement.

3. A driving and control unit of the character described, comprising abase, a driving motor mounted on said base, an output shaft rotatablymounted on said base and operatively connected to said motor so as to bedriven thereby, a normally open switch mounted in a fixed relation atone side of said output shaft and adapted to control said motor, a cammounted on said output shaft for limited angular lost motion withrespect thereto and including at least one cam lobe operable at apredetermined angular position of said output shaft to open said switch,and a solenoid mounted in fixed relation with respect to said base andoperable when energized to advance said cam angularly with respect tosaid output shaft to thereby release said switch for closing movement.

4. In a driving and control unit of the character described, a base, adriving means mounted on said base, an output shaft mounted on said baseand driven by said driving means, means for controlling said driving,means including a normally open switch mounted in a fixed relation atone side of said output shaft, a cam mounted on said output shaft forlimited angular lost motion with respect thereto and including at leastone cam lobe operable at a predetermined angular position of said outputshaft to open said switch, and a solenoid mounted in fixed relation withrespect to said base and operable when energized to advance said camangularly with respect to said output shaft to thereby release saidswitch for closing movement.

5. In a driving and control means of the character described, a drivingmeans, a shaft driven by said driving means, means for controlling thedriving action of said driving means on said shaft and including anormally open switch mounted in a fixed relation at one side of saidshaft, a cam mounted on said shaft for limited angular lost motion withrespect thereto and including at least one cam lobe operable at apredetermined angular position of said shaft to open said switch, and astationarily mounted solenoid having cam actuating means associatedtherewith and operable when said solenoid is energized to advance saidcam angularly with respect to said shaft to thereby release said switchfor closing movement.

CARL L. GRAU.

No references cited.

